Standard Ceiling Height for Homes (with Drawings)

Have you ever noticed when you walked into several different family members’ or friends’ homes, and each of their ceilings is a different height? If so, you might have wondered what the standard ceiling height is for a residential house. Along with square footage, the ceiling height is significant as well as it adds the spaciousness element to it. You don’t want a 3,000 sq ft house with a 6-foot ceiling.

The standard height for a ceiling today is 9 feet, although if it is a second-story house, then the second story will have 8-foot ceilings. Moreover, you will typically see 6.5-foot ceilings in basements and a 12 to 18 foot pitched ceiling in an attic.

This guide will take you through the standard ceiling height and go a bit more in-depth about why that is so. Also, we’ll discuss different heights and share some tips for choosing a suitable ceiling height in the event that you build a house or remodel.

Ceiling height has been relatively low throughout history and has gone through some notable changes regarding style, design, and height. This never seemed to be an issue, as it was rare to find someone taller than 6 feet. Therefore, any home you found built before the 19th century usually had ceilings that were no higher than 6 feet high.

Eventually, the ceiling height evolved during the post-war era, and 8-foot ceilings became the new normal. However, ceilings could be as high as 12 feet tall, but that wasn’t as common. When the ’70s and ’80s came, 8-foot ceilings were the standard. This was because the wooden frames were used, and they had poor insulation. If a house had a high ceiling, then families were paying more for heating and cooling, which is why many people preferred to have lower ceilings.

Now that there have been significant upgrades and improvements regarding today’s heating and cooling systems, you won’t see newly-crafted homes with 8-foot ceilings. Starting from the 20th century, new homes typically have 9-foot ceilings, while the second floor may have 8-foot ceilings. However, there’s no real reason why the standard ceiling footage increased rather than making the rooms even more proportionate.

Now, for the bathroom, you will see that the ceiling height remains at 8 feet. However, if your home is in an area that experiences hot weather, your bathroom ceilings may be higher. This is due to the difference in temperature at the ceiling level versus the floor. No one wants to keep their face in a pocket of hot air.

After reading the history of ceiling height, you may be wondering exactly how the height is determined. This depends on how the space is used and then is decided by the International Residential Code, or IRC for short. They have specific applications for different calculations regarding your area. Here is an example of how this is calculated:

First, your height is measured with the ceiling height. The average height of a human is 5 feet and 5 inches. When this person raises their hand, their height then extends to about 6 feet and 5 inches. Then, you will want to add about 2.5 extra feet within that space, which then concludes that the ceiling height should be about 9 feet for a residential living space.

However, your ceiling can extend beyond that. There are homes where people have 18 feet high ceilings for both first and second stories. The 9 feet measurement is simply a minimum of how tall your ceilings should be.

The most common type of ceiling you will see in residential homes is the flat ceilings. With these ceilings, you will see a height of at least 8 feet or 9 feet. What determines it to be one or the other is the year the house was built. These ceilings are indeed flat, and they have no special features as they’re the most basic of the basic.

One thing to keep in mind is flat ceilings are extremely expensive to raise, so before you build your home, you may want to determine if you’re comfortable with having the bare minimum height or if you want to raise your ceiling to at least 12 feet for increased space. That way, you can do it right off the bat instead of paying to raise it later on.

Tray ceilings have a raised center that stands at about 10 feet tall and then declines about a foot around the perimeter, which will stand at about 9 feet. Think of it as sort of line a circus tent, where the middle is higher, and it slopes to the perimeter, however, just not nearly as dramatic of a slope.

Tray ceilings are great; however, since they’re typically used for larger spaces and taller homes, it is not a suitable option for every building. You will first need to decide if this is the right ceiling for you before going forward.

The change to a 9-foot ceiling helps create a well-ventilated, comfortable, bright living space for anyone who uses it. Not to mention, you’ll have a good amount of wall space to hang your family photos and favorite art pieces.

You don’t have to stay at 9 feet though, you can always increase your ceiling height, but this depends on what you’re able to pay for heating and cooling costs and whether or not you live in a warm climate. Take the time to consider your ceiling height before building, as it’s expensive to raise the height later on.